Wingless
by SteelfistJon
Summary: Losing something can mean many things. It can be seen as an obstacle to overcome or something that is so overbearing that it weakens you. Friends and enemies will react in certain ways to this loss. It can create rumors and worries, change somepony fundamentally and emotionally, and will be used.
1. Chapter 1

I can't believe I'm making this story at all. But I thought of something while getting into the MLP fanbase, no one has lost anything (except Applejack and that it was really recent) that had impacted their lives and was permanent. Something that can make them better and stronger than they were before an incident. So allow me to... experiment with the concept on a more personal and physical level.

Disclaimer: Other than OCs, all characters are owned by Hasbro. The amount of gore will only be for necessary drama purposes (pretty rare) and no sexual content. I would say no nudity, but their naked anyway. This also takes place a month after Fame and Misfortune. With that thought and the setting basically set, let us begin.

* * *

 **Prologue: Missing**

The sun rose into the sky, shining down upon the purple alicorn that was sound asleep. As it got closer to her face, Twilight Sparkle mumbled to herself along the lines of certain books and new spells for her to use with Starlight Glimmer. She soon awoke from the sunshine and started stretching her legs before getting out of bed. The princess then stretched her legs once more and her wings, getting a few pops from her limbs. She walked to the bathroom and did her ritual of showering, brushing her teeth, and brushing her hair before she went to start cooking her breakfast.

She decided on a plain meal of scrambled eggs with some milk for her breakfast. Twilight turned on the stove and, as it was heating up, teleported to her front door for the mail. Seeing that it was a medium sized pile, she went through them to weed out the important ones from her standard junk mail. The ones that stood out were an invitation to a royal party in Canterlot, a letter from her sister-in-law, and an unmarked letter. The last one was very puzzling to the Princess of Friendship, but she set the important ones down on her table to finish cooking her meal.

' _Mmmm. A standard meal of scrambled eggs with cheese and with some fresh milk. Healthy and delicious.'_ Twilight thought, her stomach grumbling happily for her homemade food. Teleporting back to her table, she sat down and began to eat while looking at the her two most important, looking at the last one until later. The invitation was pretty standard, sounding optional and saying as though it'll be the party of the century and was hosted next week. The letter from Cadence was a sort of update on current events and how she would like Twilight to visit her sometime.

After she was done eating, the princess debated on whether or not to open the letter now or later. She decided that it would be best if she got her friends in case it was something important. Everyone except Starlight, who was on a magic show tour with Trixie and Discord going to every corner of Equestria and beyond. Her first visit would be Rarity, knowing that she might've gotten some unmarked letters ever since she became well known.

Twilight came up to Carousel Boutique to see quite a lot of people outside. Listening in, she heard that these people were waiting to get their orders of clothes that they asked Rarity to make. Confused, the alicorn teleported into the Boutique and walked around for any sign of Rarity. After a 30 minutes of searching, she couldn't fine the fashion designer anywhere. Though, it would make sense for Rarity to get out for some personal time before returning to her shop.

Teleporting outside, she headed to Sugarcube Corner to see if Pinkie was there and get her while waiting for Rarity at her castle. Walking in, she was greeted by Mr. Cake, happy to see the pony who saved Ponyville countless times.

"Morning, Twilight." He said.

"Good morning, Mr. Cake." Twilight said with a smile. "Is Pinkie here?"

"Not that I know of. After she helped with the last of the baking quota last night, she went to her room and that was about it." Mr. Cake said, somewhat worried for his assistant. "But she probably snuck out for some 'her' time, which isn't a surprise after the whole Friendship Journal debacle."

"Yeah, that whole thing was crazy. Though, what's weirder is that Rarity is gone, too."

"They probably worked together to enjoy themselves. I'm sure they're fine." He said with a smile.

"I hope so, too. Thanks, anyway." She said as she waved goodbye to owner of Sugarcube Corner.

"See you around, Twilight." With that the purple pony walked out and headed to Sweet Apple Acres. Thinking on the disappearance of Rarity and Pinkie Pie, she figured that Mr. Cake's assumption is the most likely that happened. But knowing Applejack, she must be working hard, even with the whole Friendship Journal event still fresh in their minds. Heading to the barn, she saw that Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom were taking a break from their morning chores, but didn't see Applejack anywhere in sight. This caused some alarm bells to ring in her head, but hopefully her siblings knew where she was.

"Oh, hey Twilight!" Apple Bloom said excitedly. Big Mac just waved at the princess while he smiled.

"Hello, you two. You don't happen to know where Applejack is, would you?" Twilight asked, surprising the two siblings with such a sudden question.

"Nnnope." Big Mac said.

"Though, we think that-" Apple Bloom started to say.

"She might've snuck out in order to have a break from work." Twilight said, making both siblings surprised once more. "That was the same conclusion that Mr. Cake said for both Pinkie Pie and Rarity. I just hope they're okay."

"Well knowing them, they might've worked together to sneak out." Granny Smith said. "To be fair, they are the most hard working ponies out of your little group. No offense."

"Oh, I definitely agree on that. It makes more sense because of the Friendship Journals." Twilight said, happy to know that there's a common link to the current missing friends.

"We always did deal with a lot of people from Equestria coming here at one time. But with it all year long, it's a stressful environment. Ah'm sure my grandkid's alright and having fun on her break."

"Well, it was good meeting you all. See you later." Twilight said as she made her way back to town.

"Hold on, your highness." Granny said, making the princess stop in her tracks. "Big Mac, could you go get one of the freshly picked apples?"

"Eeeyup." Big Mac said, running in the house to get said apple. The red pony came back with a small basket that had a red delicious apple in it and gave it to the princess.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." Twilight said, taking the basket with her magic.

"We know, but it's a sort of apology for wasting your time." Granny Smith said.

"Oh, it's no big deal. But thanks for the insight and the apple anyway. See you around." With that, the others said goodbye before continuing their chores around the house. Thinking of where to go next, Twilight decided to visit Rainbow Dash next.

She teleported to the Cloudominium and knocked on the door. Hearing no answer, she opened the door, which was unlocked by Rainbow forgetting to lock it sometimes, and looked around the house for her friend. Like the last three, she was nowhere to be found. Twilight didn't see Rainbow in the sky and knew that she didn't have training today, so she decided to look for Fluttershy and see if she was at her cottage at least.

Teleporting to the cottage, she didn't see Fluttershy tend to any of the animals outside or in her home. The alicorn asked the animals if they knew, but they just shook their heads in disappointment. She then tended to the animals for the morning routine and hoped that Fluttershy would be back soon. Seeing no other lead as to where they might've went, she teleported home and went inside. After a full two hours of searching, the princess was simultaneously sad, confused, and a little mad if they all secretly went somewhere to relax without her. Sitting at her table, she decided to eat the apple to calm her down. She took a bite and was immediately treated to the sweet and tart flavor of a fresh apple.

Twilight looked at the letter and decided to open it to see what it said. Just as she was about to take another bite, her face went from boredom to pure fear. As she read the short letter, she dropped her apple and started to put two and two together. As soon as she was done, she dropped the letter and ran as fast as she could to the train station, nearly hitting Spike on her way out as he said "hi".

"What's her deal?" Spike said, making his way to the dining room. Seeing the apple and the letter on the ground, he picked up both and started to read the letter. Just like Twilight, he dropped the apple before he could get a single bite. He looked to the front door and prayed that Twilight would make it in time. "Please, save them."

The alicorn never ran so fast in her life. With her friends' lives in danger, she couldn't slow down for a second. She needed to save her friends. She hoped that they weren't hurt when she got to her destination. Finally, she made it to the train station, seeing a train about to leave without her. She needed to get on that train, her friends depended on it.

"Wait, hold on!" Twilight said, getting the partial attention of the ticket booth pony.

"Yes, how my help." The ticket pony said, not looking away from his book. He had a silver coat with a black mane and tail and wore a typical blue uniform.

"Need to... get on... train. Friends in... danger." Twilight barely said, the exhaustion hitting her hard.

"I'm sorry, but you'll need to wait for the next trai-" The booth pony dropped his book as he saw the Princess of Friendship and savior of Ponyville. "Oh my word, Twilight!?" Immediately, he put two and two together and ran out to stop the train from leaving. "Stop, stop the train!" The train squealed to a halt, making the conductor march out in rage to the booth pony.

"Really, Silver Lining!? The train is already late, so you better-" The conductor said before she stopped herself. She had a yellowish-greenish coat with a curly blonde mane. "Princess Twilight Sparkle!? What are you doing here!?" The conductor was very much shocked to see a princess before her.

"My friends... are..." Twilight tried to say, but was too exhausted to speak, coughing a little.

"The rest of the Mane 6 are in danger!" Silver Lining said. Twilight heard that name before, though now it's starting to sound more and more official since the Friendship Journals.

"What!?" The conductor stammered a bit before looking back at the princess. "Where is it you need to go?"

"Somewhere near Cloudsdale is fine." Twilight said, finally catching her breath.

"Alright, there's an old station that's pretty close to there, but it will take some time with the other passengers between here and there."

"As long as it's before the moon rise, I'll be fine." With that, the conductor got back to the train and waited for Twilight to get on. The alicorn was about to give the booth pony some money, but he rejected it instead.

"Your friends need you. I can handle being yelled at. Besides, you did save Ponyville and the world countless time. We owe you." The booth pony got back into the station and Twilight got on the train. Her only concern was how many delays there might be on this ride. Fortunately, the train ride was only an hour and a half before the sunset, giving her ample time to find the meeting place.

* * *

The ponynapper looked through the window to see a train go by. Using a monocular, he spotted the purple creature in the window, worried for her friends. He was very much excited to finally meet this winged unicorn.

 _'Everything is working out perfectly.'_ He thought hissing in delight. He walked into the room of his captives, touching the blue one's face. _'Soon, you will be my salvation to something new.'_ He hissed with even more delight and started to laugh maniacally. He will soon have a new prize to his collection.

* * *

So, I decided to go and split it at this point since it'll be a good point for narrative purposes and also that I don't bombard people with a lot in the first chapter. And thus, my first prologue was born. Also, this will be on both FiMfiction and Fanfiction. Might as well capitalize on these for this story and the next ones to come. See you all very shortly for Chapter 1.


	2. Wingless Ch 1

A/N: Now we're going to do this for real. So, here's the paranoia/disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Other than OCs, all characters are owned by Hasbro. The amount of gore will only be for necessary drama purposes (pretty rare) and no sexual content. I would say no nudity, but their naked anyway. This also takes place a month after Fame and Misfortune. With that thought and the setting basically set, let us begin.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Loss**

Twilight felt very uneased of whoever she was going to meet. With the sun starting to set, she felt as though time would run out before finding the house. Although she might've gotten there sooner if she flew, she still wasn't used to using her wings while in a panic, and felt pretty silly for taking the train. But she couldn't think of that right now. All that mattered was getting her friends out safe and sound, no matter what. Every time she remembered the letter, it would chill her to her core. It had read:

 _'Dear purple pony,_

 _You might notice that there are a few of your allies missing. Very close allies. The reason is not because of the "friendship journals" that I've been hearing about. It's because I have captured them and brought them back to my new home. If you want your friends back, then come to this spot on the map of "Equestria" and come alone. If you bring anyone other than yourself, then the deal is off and your allies are dead. If you don't arrive by night fall, I will get the idea and end their pathetic lives. I await you decision.'_

She was still appalled at how somepony could take her friends away in such a short amount of time. Worst of all, they seemed to live somewhere under Cloudsdale, fairly close to Ponyville. This fact frightened her even more as there could've been any other pony that was taken from her surrogate home town.

 _'As much as I would like to avoid their home, I can't leave my friends to whoever they are.'_ Some part of her actually wanted to stay home, but she buried it deep in order to confront them and get her friends back. She would ask Starlight for help, but they had been gone for 3 weeks already, hopefully returning sometime next week. Twilight couldn't wait for her student, she had to get her friends before the moon rise or her friends will be gone.

Just as she was about to take flight, Twilight saw the roof of a dilapidated house, meaning she might've found the home of the ponynapper. Excited, she ran at full speed in order to get the ordeal over with and get her friends back. Just as she was about to reach the front door, a loud bang was heard and a small amount of dirt flew into the air. She stopped immediately and halted before doing anything else, very much frightened by the sudden event.

" _That's close enough!"_ A male voice said, sounding very " _gravelly_ ". _"Head to the door."_ Twilight complied without a moment's hesitation and waited. Looking at the beings weapon closely, she saw what appeared to a long metal tube with some wood attached to the bottom of it and some fancy markings. _"You will hear a series of locks unlocking themselves. Once you hear the last lock, you may then enter."_ He said, activating a trigger of some kind that started the unlocking process. The princess pondered what the pony's weapon of choice was.

 _'Something about the design seems familiar, but I can't quite place my hoof on it.'_ She thought, going through her endless mind of knowledge in order to identify the weapon or the closest thing to it. _'Wait a minute.'_ She remembered reading about a few battles in the human world, but didn't take much interest as she despised war. What she does remember is that the most recent wars had used a particular weapon, one that fitted the design of the being's own tool of destruction. _'It can't be... can it?'_ Before she could imagine the final results, the alicorn heard the last lock and immediately opened it outward.

Twilight crept in bit by bit, keeping her guard up just in case he tried to subdue her. The interior was very old and seemed to be forgotten for years, seeing the furniture more or less in the same state. Except for the intricate locking mechanism around the door, very complex as well as looking like it was made from scrap and other parts. To the pony's credit, he was very smart in regard to locking mechanisms. Being a little less cautious, she walked down a hallway with a light and faint sounds at the end of it.

She noticed a strange dimly lit table with an object on it. Walking towards it, she saw that it was the same tube as before. More precisely, the same barrel as before, confirming her suspicions of the weapon. A very fancy looking lever action rifle that had a striking resemblance to a Winchester rifle. Around it was a series of numbers with "Ms" by them. Twilight was horrified to know that this pony had a gun to begin with, let alone a rifle of this caliber.

However tempting, she didn't want to destroy it in case he canceled the deal because of such a rash action. Heading closer to the light, she started to hear distinct grunting sounds, practically telling them apart. Twilight walked faster and faster until she rounded the corner, seeing the room in all it's glory. A mostly empty room with some cabinets and chains dangling from the ceiling. Looking to her left, she immediately saw her friends and a door leading to another room.

"Girls!" Twilight exclaimed in joy, getting they're full attention. From Twilight's left to her right, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were bound to some sort of metal pad, their upper chests firmly attached to the wall by a big metal restraint. "I'm so glad you're all alright!"

"Yeah well, whoever did this won't be once we're out of these." Rainbow said, very much angry.

"Do any of you know what he looks like?" Twilight asked.

"Unfortunately, no. We just came to as we heard a loud banging sound from down the hall of this decrepit building." Rarity said.

"You didn't see him after the loud bang?"Twilight asked, even more confused.

"No. But we did hear some footsteps in the other room. Mah guess, it might be him in there right now." Applejack said.

"So, why did he place his weapon back in the hallway and walk around instead of walking through here?" Twilight asked, genuinely confused.

" _Because, I like to have a good audience."_ He said, making everypony look toward the door of the side room. To their surprise, more so for Twilight, the culprit wasn't a pony at all. He seemed to be a sort of reptilian humanoid, even with five fingered hands. His feet were three toed and he also had a slim tail with spines on top. His face seemed to protrude outward, far more than humans and somewhat compared to ponies. He had small eyes compared to ponies as well, reptilian nostrils, sharp teeth all around his jawline, a forked tongue, reptilian ear holes, and a sort of emerald green complexion. He wore a simple tank top shirt and ragged black pants with a tail hole for his three foot, snake-like tail. _"It is good to finally meet you, Miss...?"_

"Uh- Twilight, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said, bowing while keeping a close eye on the being. "And you are?"

" _My name is Cavirdalos of the Plague Swamp. But I am also known as Cadaver."_ He said, hissing in pleasure of his nickname. The princess didn't need to think too hard on where he got his name.

"What in Equestria are you?" Pinkie asked, impatient to hopefully make a new friend. Cadaver hissed in displeasure at the pink, excited pony.

" _I am what is known as a Virtolian. A bipedal, reptilian race that live far west of 'Equestria'. But I'm not here to discuss my people in full detail. We're here to make a deal."_ He said. Twilight was so caught up in the moment of discovering a new race that she almost forgot the reason she came here in the first place.

"Right." Twilight said unenthusiastically. "What is it you want in exchange for my friends?" Cadaver smiled as he made his way to one of the cabinets.

" _I have been in this land for quite sometime. Since then, I have tried many things in my new home. Obtaining the native currency, hunting some native animals, and even... these."_ He said as he opened it up to reveal a horrific sight. Skull fragments, wing bones, and horns of all shapes and sizes spilled out of the cabinet and onto the floor, showing everypony how many ponies he killed. The Mane 6 were horrified to the point of being speechless, even making Fluttershy well-up with tears at the sight.

"Oh, dear Celestia!" Fluttershy said quietly, on the verge of crying.

" _To be quite honest, I enjoyed this most of all. I think my count is nearly one hundred."_ He said as he hovered over the pile of bones.

"That is messed up beyond any belief." Rainbow said.

"Ah agree, Dashie." Applejack said.

"Absolutely awful." Rarity said, barely audible. Pinkie was too petrified to say anything.

"Why would you do this!?" Twilight said in a near whisper. Cadaver ignore their comments and picked up a nearly intact skull.

" _These 'earth ponies' that you have in these lands aren't all that tough to kill. Some are even gullible enough to just follow you without any hesitation. They seem to be average."_ He said, making Applejack take offense to the comment. _"The winged ones, 'the pegasi', right? They seem to be very egotistical about their skills. Just ask them that you want to race them in a custom course, and they'll do it. Building the course was very hard, but the reward is very much above expectations."_ Rainbow was annoyed over the fact that he used a pegasus' ego against them. Twilight, however, noticed that he seemed to be on the verge of drooling.

 _'No! Even he wouldn't do that!'_ She thought, brushing her suspicions aside for the moment.

" _And then there's this!"_ He held up a horn with some skull still attached to it. _"These 'unicorns' are the most rewarding of all."_ Rarity cringed at what she thought he was implying. _"The magic blasts, the barriers, the power. They are very tricky to kill. Nearly lost an arm to this bitch in particular."_ He waved the horn around, implying that the pony who once owned that horn is his most hated pony thus far. _"I really enjoyed cutting her legs off while she was still alive. Even more when she saw what I did to them."_

"Disgusting freak!" Rarity said under her breath in absolute disgust. He was then drooling small amounts of saliva and liking his lips and teeth, seen as a sort of extreme pleasure. The alicorn was very unsettled by his current state.

" _Though to be honest, one of your popular styles made her very appealing. Especially rotisserie."_ He said with a small hiss of pleasure. It was then that the realization finally hit every pony in the room. He didn't just kill his victims. He ate them afterwards! The lizard man seemed to be enjoying every moment of the Mane 6's utter silence. It didn't help that the ones on the wall were the next to go.

"Wait! Please, don't!" Twilight exclaimed, shielding them with her wings. "I'll do anything, just please let them go!"

" _Not until our agreement is done."_ He said as he pulled out a horn that was attached to a sort of device on the broken end. He turned on the device, which activated the horn and made it glow orange, and put all of the bones to his right side. _"You."_ He said, pointing to Twilight. _"What are you, 'princess'?"_ She was caught off guard by his sudden question, stuttering a bit before telling him.

"I'm an.. alicorn. Basically, a unicorn that... um... gets a set of wings for achieving something worthy of them and also I... g-got a power boost from the transformation." She said, nervous and absolutely horrified.

" _Are there more?"_ Cadaver asked. _"Who are they?"_

"Well..." Twilight started, still scared to tell him. "There's Princess Celestia, who rises and sets the sun. Princess Luna, who...*gulp*.. does the same for the moon. Cadence, the Princess of.. heh.. Love. And Flurry Heart, the first natural born alicorn in existence." She then noticed the blank stare of the lizard thing, drooling a bit.

" _Come here, Twilight."_ Without a moment's hesitation, she complied and walked toward him, though was still cautious of what he might do. Cadaver leaned in, getting as close to Twilight's ear as possible. _"See the pads behind your friends?"_ He whispered, having Twilight hum in acknowledgment. _"Behind the bone pile is a pedal that will activate them. What they do is tickle the back of your friends, right before they_ _ **rip**_ _their guts out through their abdomens. If you don't agree to my offer, then I'll hit the switch and your friends will die in the most agonizing way imaginable. And it will be_ _ **slow**_ _."_ He said, growling some of his words to emphasize them. _"You just need to give me one thing."_

"What is it!?" Twilight asked in a mini panic attack. Cadaver smiled at her, excited for his new wish to come true.

" _Your wings."_ The room fell silent once more. Twilight didn't know how to respond to his offer.

"M-my wings?" She asked.

" _Yes, of course your wings! Alicorns, from you description, are gods and rulers in these lands. Before you described them, I thought you were a hybrid species. But, you're a god, if your word means anything."_ He said in a sadistically calm voice. _"I mean, look at them."_ He grabbed one of Twilight's wings to see their full extent. The princess let Cadaver hold them in case he activated the pads. _"They are like the wings of angels. Much more detail than pegasus wings."_ He licked her wing, making Twilight cringe in disgust and fear.

" _And the best part is, I will be the first and only person that came close to eating a god!... Unless, you want to leave your friends behind instead."_ He regained his composure with that statement. _"It would be a shame if they were gone, never to return from what I might do. But hey, you still get to keep your well deserved trophies stuck to your back. So, what will it be? Your crowning achievement, or your closest allies?"_

Twilight was shocked to hear his proposition. Her wings or her friends? Both things she worked hard for. Both she was proud to have. Looking to her friends, they were equally as shocked as her, not helping the situation. No matter what she chose, she would lose something special to her. She just couldn't think of a way out of all of this without sacrificing something close to her. Even when she tried her magic, it just didn't work from some sort of warding surrounding them. Teleportation wouldn't work. Thinking it over for what seemed like an eternity, she splayed out her wings and said her decision.

"Take them." Twilight was barely audible, but Cadaver still heard her nonetheless.

" _Anything in particular?"_ He said in a coy voice.

"My wings. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of killing my friends, so just hurry up and take my wings." She said, sadly. Excitedly, the lizard man held up his fingers in a "wait there" gesture before he went to get his chains ready, giggling maniacally.

"Twilight, you didn't-" Applejack started, cut off by Twilight.

"Yes, I did. It's for the bes- AAAAAHHHH." She screamed as the Virtolian put a chained clamp onto the princess' wings, followed by some whirring noises that seem to indicate some screws had activated. She almost faltered from the pain, looking to her bloodied wing just as the other clamp activated on her other wing, causing another blood curdling scream to escape the princess.

 _'Oh, dear Luna.'_ Twilight thought, knowing what will happen next. Before she could brace herself, the reptilian pulled on both chains and forced her wings to spread open. The pain alone almost left her unconscious, which was very unfortunate for the lavender pony. Before the chains could move back down, he placed 2 nails into adjacent holes into the ground that kept the chains up. It also seemed as though the pony's adrenaline was kicking in a bit, keeping her awake.

" _Oh, boy.~"_ Cadaver said as he sharpened his machete, frightening everypony in the room. _"This will be nice and slow... for us both."_ He reeled back the weapon as far as he could for maximum affect and aimed close to the base. Twilight tried her best to brace for what was next, but couldn't help but scream in utter pain and horror from his first blow. The strike only went through halfway, the bone only partially chipped away. The other ponies looked away in horror, not wanting to see their friend in such agony.

" _Second go around might work.~"_ He sung, overjoyed by her pain and getting the godly taste soon. With an even harder slash, he went through the bone and the remaining flesh, making the princess scream even harder and made her mostly collapse on the floor. When her friends looked, they saw a crying, bloodied Twilight with one of her ruined wings dangling from the hoisted chain.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy said, tears about to stream down her face. The alicorn tried to stand up, but the pain was too much to handle. She reeled in pain, crying in sadness and agony.

"Fuck!" Twilight swore. Although the others were surprised by the sudden curse, they understood fully why, seeing the evidence just sway some what from the chain. The princess was sobbing at this point, trying her best to keep a grip on her emotions, but to no avail. The Virtolian sharpened his weapon again, in case it got too dull for the other wing.

" _I don't know about you, but these wings will be the greatest thing that I have ever tasted."_ He said, teasing the princess. _"At least, I hope so. I really hope they don't-"_

"Just get this damn thing over with, already!" Twilight exclaimed in anger, pulling on the chained wing so that Cadaver could get a much cleaner cut. The lizard chuckled maniacally before giving a reply.

" _As you wish."_ He said sadistically. He reeled back some and slashed at the remaining wing, forcing the princess to scream in agony. The second swing only went through the bone, which made Twilight scream even louder from the searing pain. Rainbow Dash was the only one that kept watching, feeling like looking away made her less loyal. The final blow came down with great force, physically and emotionally, forcing Twilight to scream one last time as she tried to regain her balance. Looking up to her friends, she saw that Rainbow Dash had kept watching as the others opened their eyes at that exact time.

Feeling her strength weakening, Twilight finally collapsed on the floor, tired, sad and very much in pain. Instantly, the other ponies tried to get out like they did before except with more determination and Fluttershy practically punching her restraints open. The Virtolian chuckled at their futile attempts, walking over to the pedal on the floor and picking it up.

" _I would suggest that you stop trying to force open the restraints. Doing that is completely useless."_ He said, making the others stop their struggling and listen to him. _"This switch here will release you as well as activate the pad. So-"_

"Please... stay near.. me. Those things... will.. kill you... if you don't.. do as he... says." Twilight said very weakly. They all complied and lifted their hooves up, waiting to be with their friend again. Hitting the switch, the restraints opened and the devices activated, letting the others finally join their wounded friend.

"Oh my gosh! Twilight, are you alright!?" Rainbow Dash asked, panicking like crazy.

"It's alright, Twi. You'll be okay." Applejack said, trying to reassure herself and Twilight.

"Oh, Twilight!" Fluttershy said quietly. Rarity looked at where the wings were and where they are now, immediately making her turn away and vomit on the floor.

"Fluttershy, is she gonna be alright or-" Pinkie said, jumping from the sudden noise behind her. The pads had protruded a claw of some sort, having 4 big triangles instead of thin, teethed pieces of material. Everyone, except Twilight, looked at Cadaver with irritation on their faces. "And what exactly are those for? Torture? A horrible death?" She said in an annoyed voice. Before the Virtolian could answer, Twilight answered for him.

"Organ... extractor. Helps clear out... the body of... undesirable... meat." She said as she cried a little, still weak from the traumatic experience. Fluttershy looked over the princess' injuries, getting a better look at the her wounds. Twilight's stumps were bleeding a considerable amount, as well as some bone sticking out of the wounds.

"How bad is it?" Rainbow asked frantically.

"Not as bad as it looks. We can make it back to Ponyville in time, but we should stop the bleeding just in case." Fluttershy assessed.

"What can we do?" Applejack asked.

" _What you're going to do is get the hell out of my home. The deal is over, now leave."_ Cadaver said, irritated by their love for the alicorn and also since they weren't leaving. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity hoisted Twilight up and leaned on her for support. They were on they're way out the door, but the yellow pegasus didn't want to wait until they got back to Ponyville to do some serious help. Instead, she gently got away from Twilight and flew back to Cadaver, staying at eye level.

"Fluttershy... don't.." Twilight warned, but to no avail.

"Um, Mister Cavirdalos. Could you please give us some bandages and alcohol for Twilight's wounds?" Fluttershy asked, trying the nice assertive route first. The Virtolian just glared daggers at the pegasus, very much angry.

" _That wasn't part of our agreement. You being alive was and still is. So, get out or I'll kill all of you."_ Cadaver said. Fluttershy saw that negotiating wasn't going to happen, so she decided to use her secret weapon.

"I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice." Fluttershy said, peaking the bipedal lizard's curiosity a little. "I'll just have to use... the Stare!" Immediately, she saw that Cadaver had a sort of blank stare of his own, thinking that it was working. The Virtolian only felt it for a split second, but was stunned trying to figure out what it was suppose to do. He then realized that it was suppose to make him do her biding to a certain agree, his blood boiling with rage. Cadaver scrunched his face in anger, bringing his machete up just enough for the pegasus to see that he really didn't like her.

" _Get. Out. Now."_ He said growling and hissing in anger, very much scaring the yellow pony.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy said quietly as she went back to Twilight's side. As the group walked away, Rainbow muttered something about the reptilian, but he just went to take Twilight's wings off of the chains.

"As much as Ah'd like to keep supporting Twilight, Ah seriously don't think this is the best mode of transportation for her." Applejack said, very much worried about Twilight's ever increasing blood loss.

"It's not like we have a choice." Rainbow said. "Once we're outside, I can fly up to Cloudsdale and they'll help us get her home."

"Well, I don't think our reptilian captor would like us bringing more ponies here, darling." Rarity said. "It's not something we should risk, what with his kill count being shown to us." As they went past a room, Fluttershy went in unnoticed to look for something that could help Twilight.

"I really hate to say this, and I really, really, really, REALLY hate to say this, but could Twilight teleport us somewhere close by and then get help?" Pinkie asked, feeling guilty to ask her wounded friend such a thing.

"I could.. try." Twilight offered.

"No! Absolutely not!" Rainbow Dash said, putting her hoof down. "I am not gonna risk your life so that we might get some distance between us and that freak!"

"Dashie... please." Twilight argued. They finally got to the door, making Applejack open it to finally get everyone out of this house of horrors.

"Twi, please. Save your strength." Rainbow said with great concern. "I don't wanna lose you because of that heartless... bastard." Rainbow's swear was more fitting than shocking to the other ponies. As they got out, everypony except Pinkie got a few meters away from the house, laying Twilight down so she could rest. Turning around, Applejack saw the pink pony look into the house, as if waiting for someone to get out. Looking around herself, the country pony noticed that Fluttershy was missing.

"Where in the world is Fluttershy!?" Applejack exclaimed, bringing everypony on high alert, especially Twilight.

"I think she's still inside!" Pinkie said frantically "You don't think Cadaver is-"

"Hi." Fluttershy said quietly, making the party pony jump several feet into the air before recoiling in fear. "Sorry about that, Pinkie. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, don't go wandering off without us knowing, okay?" Rainbow said in a huff, but thankful that her childhood friend was okay. Fluttershy kicked the door closed, reengaging the locks by the sound of it.

"Scared me half to death, Fluttershy." Pinkie said, calming down as much as she could, noticing the shy pony being very careful with how she walked.

"Sorry, but I had to get some things for Twilight." Fluttershy said.

"What in Celestia's name could Twilight need that's in there?" Rarity said, baffled by her friend's reason for leaving.

"Well, I don't think he'll need these." The kind pony said, opening her wings to show 2 wet, clean rags, a roll of bandages, and a small glass with a very small amount of yellowish liquid in it. "These should help Twilight, at least until we get back to Ponyville." Everypony was surprised to see that Fluttershy actually stole some supplies, but they'd let it slide since they belong to a deranged killer.

"What can we do?" Rainbow asked, eager to help her friend.

"Applejack, Rarity. I want the both of you to clean up Twilight's wounds. We don't want her to get an infection on the way." Both ponies complied and started cleaning some of the blood around Twilight's wound to start. "Pinkie, keep a close eye on that door and warn us if he comes through." Pinkie saluted and began staring at the door. "Rainbow?" The cyan pony immediately looked to Fluttershy for instructions. "Could you please comfort Twilight as soon as Applejack and Rarity clean her wounds? She'll really need it." Without a moment's hesitation, Rainbow nodded and laid down in front of Twilight, holding her hooves for comfort.

The 2 cleaner ponies cleaned off the area around the stumps, ready to disinfect them directly.

"Sorry, Twilight." Both ponies said at the same time.

"It's alrigh-" Twilight grunted, groaned and winced in pain during the ordeal.

"It's okay Twilight. I'm here." Rainbow said, doing her best to comfort the princess. "Just a few more moments, and we'll have some bandages on in no time." Just as she said that, the orange and white ponies stopped their cleaning, hoping it was enough.

"Is this good?" Applejack said, holding onto the rag just in case.

"Yep. Now we need to apply the bandages before she loses too much blood. Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, handing the roll of bandages to the fashion pony. Knowing what she was going to ask, Rarity nodded and started to unroll it a little. "Good. Please make sure it's wrapped around tight." Rarity nodded again, starting at the base of the wound. Thanks to the 2 ponies, Twilight didn't grunt as much since they were pretty numb at this point.

"Hey Rainbow?" Twilight asked weakly, keeping eye contact with the new Wonderbolt.

"What's up?" Rainbow said.

"Why didn't you tell me that wings could be so sensitive?" Rainbow Dash immediately looked away in guilt, thinking that bringing it up would've been a good idea.

"Because I thought you wouldn't get this badly hurt. The skin layer is pretty tough, probably more so with alicorn wings, so having that penetrated is pretty rare, let alone being..." She stopped herself, not wanting to hurt Twilight any further.

"Oh, I see." Feeling the pain stop, she looked behind her to see that her stumps were wrapped in white tape. Slowly, Twilight got herself up, stumbling a bit from the fairly faint pain and hunched over a bit. Fluttershy walked in front of the purple pony while holding the small glass of yellowish liquid, wandering what it was.

"Now, Twilight. This stuff may taste very yucky, but it will help you relax. Just in case, I'm going to try and pour this above you. Try to take in as much as you can and when it happens, keep your mouth shut, no matter what."

"Until what happens?" Twilight asked, still fairly tired.

"Trust me, you'll know." Fluttershy said, flying above her friend, prompting Twilight to open her mouth as wide as possible. The pegasus tip the cup over, making the liquid go down in one big drop. The princess caught the liquid in her mouth, and almost got back into her hunched stance. A couple seconds later, the liquid burned in Twilight's mouth, making her sit up straight and splay her non-existent wings out of reflex. Her eye even started to twitch after a few short moments.

"Okay, Twilight, I know this will suck for you, but try to swish it in your mouth a little before swallowing it. Try not to spit it out." Fluttershy said. Nodding in response, the alicorn did as she was told and moved the liquid in her mouth as much as possible. It still burned, seeming like it did more harm than good. The liquid tasted dreadful. Then awful. Then bad. Then not good. Then decent being at it's best. All the while, she slowly hunched over, being entranced to the liquid's burning bliss. Feeling like it was enough, the princess swallowed, making her throat burn and causing her to cough.

"What exactly was that?" Rarity asked.

"Just some Coltburn whiskey Cavirdalos had lying around." Fluttershy admitted, making everypony chuckle a bit. "How do you feel, Twilight?"

"Kinda loopy. But other than that, I might be able to teleport us a good distant away." She said, practically on que of an incoming train. If her math was right, than the tracks should be about 80 meters in front of them. "Lucky us. Go ahead and huddle around me so we can-"

" _You little bitch!"_ Cadaver exclaimed behind the Mane 6. The ponies looked behind them as he drew his rifle onto Twilight. _"No one steals from me and gets away with their lives."_ He aimed right between the princess's eyes, rifle ready to fire. Instead of a loud bang, nothing happened as the Virtolian tensed up. On closer inspection, the bullet seemed to be bent in a way that rendered it practically harmless. Twilight seized their chance.

"Hug! Now!" She said, making the others hug her as tightly as possible. Cadaver was busy replacing his damaged bullet as quickly as possible, swearing under his breath. Then, in only 1 second, a cavalcade of events happened that would disorient even Princess Celestia. A spark of magic from Twilight, a click from Cadaver, a flash of magic, and a loud bang. In front of the lizard, he only saw a small hole where is bullet went to, no blood splatter in site. Looking up, he saw the ponies appear near the tracks, looking around to get their bearings. The Virtolian decided to give them this small victory, heading back in to feast on his prize.

Most of the ponies had a small celebration as they waited for the train to arrive. Twilight decided to lay down while waiting for their ride. A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie called and waved at the train to stop. Slowly, the train stopped a few yards away from the alicorn, prompting her to stand up and weakly walk to the train, her friends staying by her side, just in case. Going up the steps of one of the coaches, Twilight stumbled over, being caught by Rainbow Dash.

"It's alright, Twi. I got you." She said, smiling at Twilight who returned the smile. Slowly but surely, she found a seat to lay on, finally feeling her exhaustion envelope her completely. Rarity and Pinkie went to the conductor so that he can bring them to Ponyville.

"Is Twilight gonna be okay?" Applejack asked.

"All she needs is some rest on our way to back to Ponyville. Then we let the doctors do their work. So yeah, she'll be alright." Fluttershy said, reassuring everyone in the coach. Soon enough, the train started to make it's way to Ponyville. Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy got on some seats of their own and talked amongst themselves to pass the time. Rainbow, however, stayed next to Twilight until much later. Just as the princess finally succumbed to the darkness, she felt something on her cheek.

"Please get well soon." Rainbow whispered. Twilight smiled, starting to see how the cyan pony felt about her.

' _Wait._ ' Twilight thought. ' _Cadaver had... 100m... as his... longest distance. So why would..._ ' It then dawned on her. ' _He wanted us to... get away. He got the best... prize ever. A part of... me._ ' She only managed to demoralize herself, seeing it as a false victory. Just to make herself feel worse, a thought popped into her mind before she finally slipped into darkness. _'Am I even a princess anymore?_

* * *

"May the prisoner step forward." Someone said with authority in his voice. The prisoner waited for what seemed like an eternity until the door finally opened. He was immediately struck by the, albeit dim, lighting of the room. The surroundings themselves weren't much to look at, some carved rock that weren't even done being smoothed out. Around him, nobles and knights alike, were bipedal lizard people. The Virtolians. His own kind judging him for what he had done a few months ago.

"You better listen up, boy. This council will decide your final fate." A rather young, but prideful Virtolian said. He stood to introduce himself, as was the custom of their people since the Forgotten Age. "Galibas of the Rain Mountains."

"Barigal of the Calm Sea." An old, graying Virtolian said.

"Dalian of the Dry Plains." A female noble said.

"Ragishar of the Rich Desert." A rather big Virtolian said.

"Emperor Talivar of the Obsidian City." A Virtolian of above average build with a crown and a black staff said. The council members had clothing that matched where they came from and what status they were in. Their own complexions were mostly green with some different spots of other colors. "I hereby decree this meeting in session. Please take a seat if you wish." With that, they all sat down.

' _This ought to be worth my time.'_ The prisoner thought. Last he heard, they wanted him to go through with the rest of his 200 year sentence. The council must be desperate.

"Prisoner. You are in the presence of the Council of the Virtoli Empire. It is now up to us to help you find a new destiny, if need be." Talivar said, banging his staff on the ground which made it, the table, and the surrounding floor glow a golden orange. "Now, let us talk."

"Yeah, like why I'm here. It seems like there's something that your politics can't handle and you need me to take care of it." The prisoner said, irritated at the fact that the emperor needed someone else do to his dirty work for him. ' _If there's a problem, go do it yourself you lazy-'_

"This pertains to Cavirdalos." Ragishar said. A moment of silence filled the room before the prisoner broke the silence.

"Go on." He said.

"Cavirdalos is running amok in a country to the far east. We just received messages saying that the inhabitants are starting to disappear without a trace. It has only been a dozen or so natives that have gone missing in such a short time. Unfortunately, we can't determine if it's still a low number or if he's gone into the hundreds by now." Dalian said.

"Right, since this 'Equestria' is on the other side of the world. A couple of months if the waters are kind." The prisoner said. "So what's you plan for getting Cadaver?"

"We know that you want to kill him for his betrayal, so we would like to give you an offer." Galibas said, making the prisoner skeptical. "We can't send in any of our soldiers since the shadow and the centaur will arrive soon. If you go and kill him, then all crimes of your past will be forgiven and, in due time, forgotten."

"Now it only leaves you to decide your fate. What will it be?" Barigal said.

"I accept your offer. Cadaver will be dead as soon as I get there." The prisoner said.

"Good. From this day, until Cadaver's last day, you will be known as the Silver Blade, the assassin of the Virtoli Council. We will give you needed weapons, supplies, and a state-of-the-art boat, making your travel to Equestria less than a month if the waters are calm." The emperor said, making Silver grin in acceptance. The guards unlocked his chains, finally able to exact revenge upon Cadaver. "The meeting is over. Thank you all for coming." Silver Blade was lead to a small room with weapons and outfits for his assassination mission. He picked out some leather armor dyed a navy blue for optimal stealth. He chose a short sword and a bow with poison tipped arrows.

"Don't bother with the 'metal throwers'. They're loud and clumsy." Silver said to a noble's servant, putting down the firearms. "We should really rename them to something simpler." With that, he left the armory and went down to the nearby river. Outside the palace was a view of wood and obsidian, which definitely fit the name of the Obsidian City. After an hour of anxious walking, he finally reached the harbor and immediately saw the boat he needed to use. It was very slick for the standard design, made from what seems like steel and having a seat in the middle of the boat with a sort of lever next to the steering wheel. Carefully getting in, he noticed a piece of paper next to the seat, seeing that it was a note as he picked it up.

 _Assassin,_

 _Since you accepted my offer, know this. This vehicle will be extremely quick compared to our sport sailboats. What I suggest is that you be careful until you reach the sea. Then you'll only have to worry about food, water, and re-energizing the mechanism with the provided Empower cylinders. Good luck and may your mission be successful._

' _Don't worry, I will succeed._ ' He thought, powering up his boat and heading toward the sea. ' _Hopefully I can finally put fear in your eyes for betraying me,_ ' He held up a black and white photo of him as a kid and a young Cadaver. ' _You will pay... brother._ '

* * *

Oh, man. I finally did something that I thought I'd never do. Make a fanfic about MLP. I know that the whole new species thing is definitely out of left field, but why not experiment with some creativity while having a rather simple but somewhat complex story. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it and that I will have the next chapter out within the next month or so. I await your return in Chapter 2.


End file.
